Going through difficult stressful times is never fun, but lately I've been trying to focus on the little things that make me happy.
I chopped off my hair and got new earrings
ombre purple awesome-ness
Because of our mild winter, flowers are exploding with blooms, some things haven't bloomed in years.
snap dragon
an odd bloomer the butterflies like
happy hydrangea
poppy surprise :)
I got to hang out with my friend and go fabric shopping for some new projects, that I will hopefully work myself up too.....soon :) It's so fun to geek out over fabric with someone that loves making stuff too.
Also we have Killdeer birds in our parking lot at work, they come around this time of year, even though they also call the beach home. I was pleasantly surprised to see babies in our parking lot this year, they have the cutest little walk and they shake their little tails. Yes, I am easily amused.
SO FLUFFY!
And this weekend I got to see Dirt's latest succulent offering. A mossy succulent turtle!! So freaking cute :)
Hope you are having a good week and enjoying the small things :)
Today is my 1 year blog anniversary! The time has definitely flown by, it's crazy how things become a part of your everyday routine.
I wish gummy bear balloons actually existed
What a wonderful year its been. I wanted to have a creative outlet to share my artistic side and other stuff I'm excited about like crafting, baking, and fashion.
I really love to write about things I'm passionate about and I love seeing what all is going on in the blogosphere. But my main goal was develop my drawing style and open a shop and while I was just enjoying the creative process and make things on a regular basis. But now I need to see my goals through to completion. I finally made a list of things I want to focus on.
1. Using Spoonflower to make detailed illustrations on fabric.
I love drawing I love fabric it was only a matter of time before someone came up with tools to print your own designs. This is happening very soon!
2. Do some illustrations inspired by songs. I love music, I can't work without it, it makes me happy, relaxed and focused. What could be a better inspiration than that?
3. Create my own T shirt designs. I've always been interesting in screen printing, I found a really great company and I'm coming up with a swirly, colorful explosion something awesome that I can wear to work. This is a doodle, don't take it seriously lol
I love stars and purple
4. Create and explore characters. I love to explore animals with human nuances and I love coming up with random wild monster creatures too. I'd like to see where this could go if I gave it the right amount of attention.
I am very excited to see where these projects will take me, maybe I will come up with other ideas along the way that I love even better.
I hope to focus more on my art projects but also discover and discuss more food, fashion and DIY this year. I hope you continue on this journey with me :)
Yes, I am a week late but better late than never :)
I did manage to do a couple of crafty things during my Christmas break. One was decorating the clay ornaments I had made a couple weeks ago.
Sharpies worked really well on the baked Sculpey clay. My mom even helped me with some.
a little owl, multicolored star and gingerbread girl
We also mustered up the courage to tackle our mini canvases which was really fun. I don't think they turned out how either of us imagined but I'm still happy with them. I've always loved painting.
We are wanting to take another painting with a twist class again soon.
Mini art: Abstract heart is mine and Abstract view of a tree is my Mom's
Our painting with a twist sunflowers
Also this was the first year I received presents from Etsy, it takes a little get used to but my Mom and I have learned a lot from doing things with my shop. I was like a kid in a candy store, it was so cool to see the way everyone packaged everything and actually have the items in hand to see the awesome craftsmanship up close.
I have always been interested in ceramics, a few years ago I was lucky enough to take a hand building ceramics class and became even more enamored with the artistry of it. One etsy artist in particular has intrigued me for a few years. Now I can say I own one of her awesome pieces!
Today's my birthday and I was quite surprised by my dear coworkers to receive the most wonderful and unexpected gift. Which I think is the best things about birthdays :)
As you might know I was previously gushing about Marc Jacobs cute little creatures.
And guess what I got?!
The cutest little bunny ever!
I will do more celebrating this weekend, which will hopefully include Chihuly, pie and possible crafts, we shall see what happens. I also broke down and bought some boots last weekend, Macy's seems to be the only one having really great sales, at least on what interested on anyway. I mentioned both of these pairs in a previous post. I wanted something pretty and comfortable .......that's where Bitsy came in. I got a cheaper b.o.c. pair first but they weren't as comfortable and the leather wasn't as nice.
Born does a really good job as far as comfort and construction go, but even though these boots are kinda wide at the calf you still have to have a mini wrestling match to zip them up even with skinny jeans.. so I will still be thinking about whether I will keep them or not. I kinda want a boot without so much heel and have been looking at these too.
Also I'm pretty obsessed with this whole studding trend and I got caught up and bought these yesterday. But they aren't really comfortable and kinda pricey for man-made material in my opinion. I know you are paying for the hardware but still. I think these are going back.
please disregard my disheveled jeans ;)
I think they look cuter when you aren't wearing them.
Also I saw these awhile back in person and I'm starting to fall for them again as I see them all over online. So continues the boot saga.
There is also a huge antique mall, I love getting lost looking through antiques, especially jewelry.
One of my favorite fabric shops, Cabbage Rose, is also in Ft. Worth, they have so many different kinds of fabric: cotton, flannel, corduroy and laminated cotton, you know to make rain coats, or table cloths out of. Awesome! I'm like a kid in a candy store.
But this weekend, I am going to local craft show, Funky Finds. They have local artists and a pet adoption area, it's great, this will be my third year to go, and I can't wait :)
I think I'm going to go see the new James Bond movie this weekend too and maybe stop by my favorite pie place for a slice of Druken Nut or Lord of the Pies.
So I finally finished a new stuffed creature I had been working on.......things seem so simple in my head even when I put them together but construction is not always as easy as I imagine it to be.
A couple years ago, I made a goodbye and good luck cake for one of my coworkers. She was really into twilight and vampire stuff so I made her a bat cake topper. Then I remember it the other day and decided it would be fun to make a plush bat. I took my sketch and made it into a pattern.
I love cute little fangs :)
In huggable plush form
Meet Ben
close up of the face :)
Meet Ben the bat, he loves to play tag and hide and go seek. Fall is his favorite time of year and he loves fruit cups. I used anti-pill fleece for the 1st time, I definitely like the texture better than regular fleece its definitely great for making animals. I hand stitched most of his face, I experimenting with doing a zigzag applique around the largest part of the eye. I plan to add to the shop tomorrow after I take some better pictures. Working on more creatures, I'm eager to share as fast as I can get them done.
I was in Walmart the other day and look what I found in the craft aisle......mini canvases with an easel! So cute and tiny. I'm going to have to dream up a mini painting just so I can display this tiny canvas somewhere :)
I finally got to wear this scarf the other day, it is getting a little cooler now but still not consistently cool. Also I found this shirt at Urban Outfitters, I really like their BDG brand shirts.
1. Simply Vera: Vera Wang Sweater from Kohl's (last year)
2. BDG floral print shirt from Urban Outfitters
3. Supersoft pretty scarf Mossimo Supply Co. (I think this is it?) Target
What do you think about the Narciso Rodriguez collection at Kohl's ?
It's a little too 60's mod colorblocking for me. I think some of the dresses are cute, but let's be honest I don't wear knit dresses. Some of the tops are cute but I wonder what the material feels like. I probably will pass on this and wait for the new Prabal Gunrung collection at Target in Feb.
Also I'm glad all this election nonsense is over for the most part. I hope we can work together and do what's best for the country. I have decided something, thanks in part to reading the Happiness Project.
Doing things makes you feel better, it makes you feel accomplished, the act of contribution is a positive one. So when I feel overwhelmed about the future of our country and I start to feel helpless, I am going to do something to help my community. How can you help your country? Help your community.....grow where you are planted. I decided to organize a food drive at work, I was a little nervous but to my surprise everyone is pitching in and bringing stuff. Instead of trying to do it all on my own, I decided to include others, because everyone likes to have that awesome feeling you get when you have helped someone else and the overall result will be a larger donation, so that's more than I could have hoped for.
Anyway sorry to ramble on, just thought I'd share. Happy Wednesday to you, a little something below to make you laugh :)
Finishing up the loose ends on some projects; I hope to share by next week. I've been messing around in Illustrator, coming up with some bday card designs. Nothing says happy to me like a burst of color :)
And I also have been toying with the idea of a tree trunk bookmark with an owl peering out (of course!)
still needs some embroidery detail
Also I wanted to share the cutest little owls ever! Maybe they just look cuter because they are not in their usual habitat. What do you think?
Trying to more drawings done, but in the meantime, I thought I'd share my other recent obsession: making stuffed animals.
Soon after I started drawing owls, I thought why not try drawing on fabric and making a stuffed owl. The owl on the left, I made a few months ago in a creative fervor one night after work. I decided to experiment with stitching to enhance his features, I'd like to experiment more with that in the future. I drew his girlfriend soon after but I just finished coloring and assembling her today. I am pleased with how she turned out.
Why yes that is a bow in her feathers
I am still working on my technique and creating workable proportions.
teeny tiny owl
In other news, I saw the Lorax. While some details were changed in this version, I thought it was still really great. It's so fun to see his quirky drawings interpreted in all the colorful nuances computer animation has to offer.
I wish we could have spent more time with the cute little animals though
I'd also like to share my favorite TV show opening, it gets points for having a catchy song, ridiculous props, and encapsulating the show's plot in under 30 second. YAY
Hope to get more done this week, I have so many new fun things to share!
